Dr. Conny Davidsen

Biography

Conny's environmental policy and governance research focuses on the nexus of environmental conservation with local livelihoods, indigenous rights, climate justice, climate adaptations, and global development, often with a political ecology focus, governance analysis and local participation and interests. Past and present work includes projects in Alberta wildfire governance and oil sands discourses, British Columbian wildfire governance and forest governance in Haida Gwaii, Ecuadorian Amazon oil conflicts and coastal rainforest forestry, Peruvian Amazon environmental conservation and national-level environmental politics, Colombian Amazon politics, Mexican forest communities in Yucatan, Nunavut environmental governance, Nepal forestry and carbon credit governance, Bangladesh forest and livelihood governance, as well as Mongolian and Kenyan examples of conservation and changing environmental monitoring and governance, often focusing on different aspects of local and/or indigenous rights, perspectives and livelihoods in relationship to environmental goals. 

Bridging academic knowledge and public policy discussions, she has published across a wide range from academic journals to policy reports, news and blogs, international field schools, local outreach, and an Emmy© award-nominated environmental documentary. She joined the University of Calgary following research at University of Cambridge/UK, University of Victoria/BC, GIZ Ecuador, and GIZ Mexico; and education at University of Dresden/Germany (PhD Environmental Policy / Dr. rer. nat.), University of Guelph/ON (MA Geography & International Development), and Kiel/Germany (BA Geography/Economics), (BA Fiscal Law).

PUBLICATIONS

Borja, PD, C Davidsen (2025)  "Like an Abandoned Son": Clientelism, Assistentialism and State Failure in Amazon Oil Benefit Sharing Policies. Resources Policy Vol. 101, February 2025, 105461 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0301420725000030

Watson, A, C Davidsen (2025) “Remoteness and Power in Hydrocarbon Extraction”. Geoforum Vol 158, January 2025, 104166 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0016718524002276

Subroto S, C Davidsen (2025) Conservation Ethos of Indigenous Munda Community vis à vis Land Grabbing Battles in Bangladesh’s Sundarban Mangroves. In: Datta, R. (eds) Indigenous Land-Based Knowledge and Sustainability:  Settler Colonialism and the Environmental Crisis. Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group. https://www.routledge.com/Indigenous-Land-Based-Knowledge-and-Sustainability-Settler-Colonialism-and-the-Environmental-Crisis/Datta-Chapola-Acharibasam/p/book/9781032749051

Asiyanbi A, C Davidsen (2023) Governing Wildfire Risk in Canada: The Rise of an Apparatus of Security. Annals of the American Association of Geographers, 113(5), 1207–1223. https://doi.org/10.1080/24694452.2023.2175638

Watson, A, C Davidsen (2023) Natural Gas Extraction, Discourse and Power in Upper Amazonia: The Rise of Camisea. In: Energy & Scale, edited by Petra Dolata, Sabrina Perić and Roberta Rice. Calgary: University of Calgary Press 

Watson, A, C Davidsen (2022). “Conservation and Indigenous Resistance: Protected Area and Extractive Agendas in the Peruvian Amazon”. Debates en Sociología (54), 1-40. https://doi.org/10.18800/debatesensociologia.202201.003

Subroto S, C Davidsen, M Rashid, M Cuadra (2021). Dual Governance and the Shadow of State Authority: Co-Management Realities in Rema Kalenga Protected Area. Journal of Sustainable Forestry. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/10549811.2021.1941121

Watson, A, C Davidsen (2021) Pandemic State Failure, Hydrocarbon Control and Indigenous Territorial Counter-Action in the Peruvian Amazon. Frontiers in Human Dynamics, Political Ecology. https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/human-dynamics/articles/10.3389/fhumd.2021.654311/full

Borja, D, J Bay, C Davidsen (2021) ‘Like losing half the territory.’ Waorani struggle with loss of elder, and of land to oil. Mongabay 23 March 2021. https://news.mongabay.com/2021/03/like-losing-half-the-territory-waorani-struggle-with-loss-of-elder-and-of-land-to-oil-commentary/

Borja, D, J Bay, C Davidsen and YG Sarduy (2021) Ancianos amazónicos en la frontera petrolera: La vida y muerte de Nenkihui Bay, líder tradicional Waorani. Journal of Latin American Geography 20(1) March 2021 DOI: 10.1353/lag.0.0163  https://repository.lsu.edu/jlag/vol20/iss1/10/

Asiyanbi, A and C Davidsen (2020) Canadian Wildfires: Are we prepared for the next disaster? Canadian Science Policy Centre, Featured News Editorial, 7 Aug 2020. https://sciencepolicy.ca/news/canadian-wildfires-are-we-prepared-next-disaster

Watson, A and C Davidsen (2020) Conservation, Economic Reactivation and COVID-19 in Peruvian Amazon Indigenous Communities. IUCN – CEESP News 5 June 2020. https://www.iucn.org/news/commission-environmental-economic-and-social-policy/202006/conservation-economic-reactivation-and-covid-19-peruvian-amazon-indigenous-communities

Watson, A and C Davidsen (2020) COVID-19 and Extraction Pressures in the Peruvian Amazon. North American Congress on Latin America (NACLA), Research News Article, June 1. New York NY. https://nacla.org/news/2020/06/01/covid-19-and-extraction-pressures-peruvian-amazon

Watson, A and C Davidsen (2020) Conservation, Economic Reactivation and COVID-19 in Peruvian Amazon Indigenous Communities. CEESP News Article, International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)- Commission on Environmental, Economic and Social Policy News. Switzerland, June 2020. https://www.iucn.org/news/commission-environmental-economic-and-social-policy/202006/conservation-economic-reactivation-and-covid-19-peruvian-amazon-indigenous-communities

Davidsen, C and A Asiyanbi (2020) When If Not Now? Crisis Lessons from COVID-19 for Climate Action. Canadian Science Policy Centre. Response to COVID-19 Pandemic and its Impacts, Featured Editorial Series Vol 1 Issue 2, May 2020. https://sciencepolicy.ca/news/when-if-not-now-crisis-lessons-covid-19-climate-action

Watson, A and C Davidsen (2020) “Covid-19 and Extraction Pressures in the Peruvian Amazon”. The North American Congress on Latin America (NACLA) Report, June 2020. https://nacla.org/news/2020/06/01/covid-19-and-extraction-pressures-peruvian-amazon

Watson, A and C Davidsen (2020) “Reactivación Económica y una Pandemia en Comunidades Indígenas Amazónicas Peruanas”. Latin America Geography Blog, Royal Geographical Society - Institute of British Geographers Latin America Working Group, May 2020. https://lagukinfo.wixsite.com/lag-uk/post/reactivaci%C3%B3n-econ%C3%B3mica-y-una-pandemia-en-comunidades-ind%C3%ADgenas-amaz%C3%B3nicas-peruanas

Borja PD and C Davidsen (2018) Can the Yasuni be Protected through Public Consultation? Short Paper. January 2018. Latin American Research Centre, Calgary. https://larc.ucalgary.ca/news/can-yasuni-be-protected-through-public-consultation

Bastakoti RR and C Davidsen (2017) Optimism, Hopes and Fears: Local Perceptions of REDD+ in Nepalese Community Forests. International Forestry Review 19 (1) 1-16  http://www.ingentaconnect.com/contentone/cfa/ifr/2017/00000019/00000001/art00001

Bastakoti RR and C Davidsen (2017) Framing REDD+ at the National Level: Actors and Discourse around Nepal’s Policy Debate. Forests 8 (3) 1-23  http://www.mdpi.com/1999-4907/8/3/57

Davidsen C (2016) The Alberta Oil/Tar Sands and ‘Mainstream’ Media Framings between Globalization and Polarization. In: Laurie Adkin (ed.) First-World Petro-Politics – The Political Ecology and Governance of Alberta p. 241-262. Toronto: University of Toronto Press  https://utorontopress.com/ca/first-world-petro-politics-4

Bastakoti RR and C Davidsen (2015) Nepal’s REDD+ Readiness Preparation and Multi-Stakeholder Consultation Challenges. Journal of Forest and Livelihood 13 (1) 30-43  https://www.nepjol.info/nepal/index.php/JFL/article/view/15364

Alonso-Yanez G and C Davidsen (2014) Social Worlds of Mexican Biosphere Reserve Researchers. Human Ecology Review 20 (2) http://press-files.anu.edu.au/downloads/press/p291621/html/alonso.xhtml?referer=1049&page=4

Davidsen C (2014) Critical Literacy and Discursive Governance Control(s) in Canada’s Oil/Tar Sands Discourses. In: Robert Boschmann and Mario Trono (eds.). Found in Alberta – Environmental Themes for the Anthropocene. Environmental Humanities, p. 105-124. Wilfrid Laurier University Press: Waterloo/ ON  https://www.wlupress.wlu.ca/Books/F/Found-in-Alberta

Bastakoti RR and C Davidsen (2014) REDD+ and Forest Tenure Security: Concerns in Nepal’s Community Forestry. International Journal of Sustainable Development & World Ecology.  http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/13504509.2013.879542

Davidsen C and D Graham (2014) Climate Change Response in Canadian Newsprint Media. American Review of Canadian Studies 44 (2) 151-168  http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/02722011.2014.914047

Davidsen C, L Deacon and L Kiff (2013) Oil Literacy – The Canadian Oil/Tar Sands Debate, Media Literacy and Politics. 366 pages. Toronto: Pearson Canada.  https://www.pearson.com/us/higher-education/program/Davidsen-Oil-Literacy-The-Canadian-Oil-Tar-Sands-Debate-Media-Literacy-and-Politics/PGM239262.html

Davidsen C (2013) Qualitative Inquiry in a Digital World: ‘New Media’ and Liquid Modernity in Environmental Discourses. International Journal of Science in Society 4(2):111-117  http://web.a.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.lib.ucalgary.ca/ehost/detail/detail?vid=7&sid=231911f0-9769-4d67-907a-171a424c7a6a%40sessionmgr4009&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#AN=91829337&db=a9h

Davidsen C and L Kiff (2013) Global Carbon Deals, Global Eco-States? Ecuador’s Yasuní Global Conservation Agreement. Journal of International and Global Studies 4(2): 1-19   http://www.lindenwood.edu/files/resources/1-19.pdf

Davidsen C and L Kiff (2013) Ecuador between Petro-State and Economy – The Yasuní Proposal and Ecuador’s Future between Petroleum and Carbon. Occasional Papers, Latin American Research Series, February 2013, Latin American Research Centre, Calgary AB.  https://larc.ucalgary.ca/publications

Davidsen C (2011) Amazon Struggles in the Global Media Age – The Framing and Discourse of Socio-Environmental Conflict. In: S. Cottle, L. Lester (eds.) Transnational Protests and the Media, pp. 172-185. Peter Lang Publishing, Oxford/UK.  https://www.peterlang.com/view/product/28642

Davidsen C (2010) Political Ecology. In: Barney Warf (ed.) Encyclopedia of Human Geography, p. 2209-2214. Sage Publications, Thousand Oaks/CA. Encyclopedia received "Outstanding Reference Source" Award by the American Library Association.  https://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/encyclopedia-of-human-geography/book226443

Davidsen C and Tam, CL. (2010) Power and Knowledge Constraints of Multidisciplinary Learning: Field School Experiences in Practice. Journal of the World Universities Forum, 3(4): 119-126.  https://cgscholar.com/bookstore/works/power-and-knowledge-constraints-of-multidisciplinary-learning?category_id=common-ground-publishing

Tam CL and Davidsen, C (2010) Low-Technology Multidisciplinary Teaching in the Amazon: Challenging Epistemologies and Learning Patterns. The International Journal of Technology, Knowledge and Society, 6(6): 113-122. https://cgscholar.com/bookstore/works/lowtechnology-multidisciplinary-teaching-in-the-amazon?category_id=common-ground-publishing

Davidsen C (2010) Ecotourism. In: Juliana Mansvelt (ed.) Green Consumerism, The Sage Reference Series for Green Society, p. 117-119. Sage Publications, Thousand Oaks/CA.  https://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/green-consumerism/book233809

Davidsen C (2010) Greenwashing. In: Dustin Mulvaney (ed.) Green Politics, The Sage Reference Series for Green Society, p. 213-218. Sage Publications, Thousand Oaks/CA.  https://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/green-politics/book233506